Etymograph

English

vex

Vex comes from Middle English vexen ‘to afflict’, from Latin vexō ‘to shake or jolt violently’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ- ‘to bring’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weǵʰ-1‘to bring’uncertain
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvexō2‘to shake or jolt violently’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400vexer2
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500vexen2‘to afflict’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1526vex2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin vexo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English vex
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1526, [William Tyndale, The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible): “In that tyme Herode the kynge layed hondes on…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weǵʰ-Wiktionary, Latin vexo‘to bring’uncertain
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvexōWiktionary, English vex‘to shake or jolt violently’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400vexerWiktionary, English vex
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500vexenWiktionary, English vex‘to afflict’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1526vexWiktionary, English vex. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1526, [William Tyndale, The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible): “In that tyme Herode the kynge layed hondes on…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ- ‘to bring’

way, always, via, vehicle, wave, reveal, halfway, weigh, wagon, wee, vogue, vector, wedge, vein, veil, headway, wag, wonky, eunuch, venous, wey, waw, wain, invective, vena, velar, 39 more

through Middle English vexen ‘to afflict’

vexed, vexing

Today it means

verb To annoy, irritate.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “vex”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin vexo. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ- / vex

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